Tharun Mannepalli's Stunning Upset at Macau Open

Tharun Mannepalli, an emerging Indian badminton talent, caused a major upset by defeating top seed and world No. 15, Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong, in the Macau Open BWF Super 300 event. The riveting match concluded with Tharun securing a 19-21, 21-14, 22-20 victory, marking his second Super 300 quarterfinal appearance this year.

Tharun, currently ranked 47th globally, will next face China's Hu Zhe An, world No. 87. In contrast, fellow Indian Ayush Shetty was eliminated after falling to Malaysia's Justin Hoh. On the women's side, Rakshitha Ramraj succumbed to Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan in a three-set encounter.

In doubles action, Indian pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto were defeated by Malaysia's Jimmy Wong and Lai Pei Jing. Upcoming matches include India's top men's doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty facing Japanese opponents, as well as women's doubles competitors Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra challenging an Indonesian duo.